PARASTASIIXI. 32 



Peperonota and BidrepanejjJioyus), and the process of the penulti- 

 mate jouit then forms a peculiar flattened lobe, with its flat 

 suriace beautitully scored with fiue parallel grooves. This 

 evulendy serves as a firm gripping apparatus, the'eukrged claw- 

 jon.t ben.g hollowed out beneath and the strong inner claw 

 folding back at will on to the grooved plate. This ch.w is 

 sometnnas cleft m the male, but more often undivided in both 

 sexes. The outer middle and hind claws are genernllv deeplv 

 cle.t, but sometimes entire in the females, and sometimes in both 

 sexes. The outer front and inner middle and hind claws are 

 alwjiys suuple. ihe prosternum bears no post-coxal process and the 

 mesosten.um IS occasionally produced foruard, but more often not 

 ihis Division IS remarkable fur the striking instances of sexual 

 dimorphisiu which it includes. Numerous and peculiar differ- 

 ences occur in the genus Farastasia, many females being darker 

 HI colour than the males, while they are generally more elongate 

 and parallel-sided. The mandibles, the claw-structure, and even 

 the ine«osteriiuin, are different iu certain species, but the dis- 

 parity IS much greater in some of the allied genera In Bidre 

 2>mupliorus, DicavJocephalus, and Fnihstorferia the males h-ive 

 the mandibles greatly enlarged, as in the Stag-beetles, and' in 

 le.peronola a remarkable horn or process projects backwards from 

 the pronotum, the only example in this subfamily of a thoracic 

 horn, characteristic a« it is of the nearest allied group the 



Probably most, if not all, of the Parastasjijji feed in the larval 

 state upon rotting wood. Certain species have been observed to 

 frequent blossoming trees in the adult stage. They are evidently 

 not adapted, like the rest of the Eutelix.e, for clingino- to 

 foliage. '=' ^ 



Key to the Genera. 



1 (6) Ante-ocular ridges not very 



prominent. 

 -' (5) Four posteriortibife very spinose 



at their outer edges.' 



3 (4) Mandibles of the male not pro- 



4 (3) Mandibles of the male greatly V '^4 

 -> rA ^ ^P;''^^^'i^^l^^^terally \ Dicaulockphalus, Gesti^^> 



o {J) l*our posterior tibue not very ' 



p n^ ^ ^^F»«^^f '-^t their outer edoes". Pauastasia, AVestw., p 35 

 () (I) Aute-ocular ridges very pro- . t' ^u. 



minent. 

 7 (8) Not clothed with dense Lair 



e /-^ r '^.^'^ ;■•,••; pRUHSTOiiFEiiiA, Kolbe n 47 



& (/) Eutnely clothed with dense \'v 60 



^^^^^ DlDKE PAKKl'HOEUS, AV.-M., ' 



* The female of Dicaulocephakts is unknown. 



